HFEN Statewide Update to address PERB SA-CE-2111 Settlement

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The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) made a unilateral decision to assign Plan of Corrections (POC) to Health Facility Evaluator Nurses (HFENs). This work had previously been assigned to supervisors only. In this memo we want to review the chain of events that led to the agreement that SEIU Local 1000 negotiated on behalf of HFENs statewide. 

Background & Outcome:

  • A group of HFENs filed with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) on October 26, 2021, claiming that reviewing, approving, or rejecting POCs are supervisory duties and should not be the HFENs responsibility. 
     
  • On July 22, 2022, an agreement was reached in the PERB SA-CE-2111 Settlement that both parties would negotiate within a 45-day period and meet a minimum of three times. POCs would not be assigned during negotiations.
     
  • A team of SEIU Local 1000 HFENs negotiated with CDPH a total of four times on the following dates:
  • August 15, 2022
  • August 16, 2022
  • August 17, 2022
  • August 25, 2022
  • CDPH refused to remove the assignment of POCs to HFENs and rejected a proposal for a pay differential as well as a one-time stipend of $1,500.
     
  • In the final stages of negotiations, CDPH recognized the need for HFENs to receive the formal training and tools previously only given to supervisors.
     
  • The SEIU Local 1000 HFEN team also negotiated a point-person in every District Office, who would be a resource for questions or concerns as well as guidance for the POC review/approval process. The point-person(s) are:
  • Training Supervisor
  • District Administrator
  • Manager
  • The final agreement states that within sixty (60) calendar days of the executed agreement (August 25, 2022) all HFENs will receive mandatory POC training.

Going forward, should you be assigned a POC review prior to receiving the formal training and tools as agreed upon, please reach out to the Member Resource Center (MRC) at 866.471.SEIU (7348), who can guide you to the correct representative.

Lastly, we would also like to make mention of the Essential Worker Pay negotiations that took place on August 31, 2022, where SEIU Local 1000 advocated passionately for higher wages for HFENs statewide. We know what an important role HFENs play for our great state – please know we are fighting for all of you!

Click here to read the final agreement.